Hydrogenation of hydrocarbons



A March 19, '1935. R COOK 1,994,982

HYDROGENATION OF HYDROCARBONS Filed July 21, 1928 numm 20162655 1512 6 72 for:

Patented Mar. 19, 1935 1,994,982

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,994,982 nrnnocnmrron or rrrnnocmons Ralph C. Cook, Chicago, 111., assignor to Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of South Dakota Application July'Zl, 1928, Serial No. 294,369 3 Claims. (Cl. 196-66) This invention relates to improvements in hymatic elevational view, partly in vertical section, drogenation of hydrocarbons, and relates more of apparatus in which the invention may be carparticularly to the conversion of heavy oils into ried out. gasoline or other desirable lighter hydrocarbons Referring more in de all to the drawing. 1 by the use of incondensable gas from a liquid, designates a furnace in which is located a tube 5 liqiud-vapor, or vapor phase cracking process. or coil 2 communicating through a transfer line More specifically, it relates to the conversion of 3, in which may be interposed check valve 4, either cracked or uncracked residuum by .subwith a column 5 on which is supe drum jecting same I to the influence oi incondensable 6 communicating through the medium of the line 10 gas produced as a by-product in the cracking and 7, in which may be interposed a valve 8, with the 10 conversion of hydrocarbons to produce desirable condenser 9. The latter may communicate commercial products. through the medium of the line 10, in which The invention comprises subjecting said remay be interposed a valve 11, with a receiver 12 siduum while in contact with incondensable gas of conventional type which may be provided with 15 and hydrogen to high pressures and temperathe incondensable gas relief pipe 13, in which 15 tures; if incondensable gas produced in the crackmay be interposed valve 14, and with liquid drawing operation is not already suiiiciently rich in of! line 15, in which may be interposed a valve 16. ydrogen for the purpose. of the invention, the Residuum may be a charged to the system process includes preliminary operation whereby through the line 1h Whifih y be interposed the hydrogr concentration of the incondensathe valves 18 and pu p Said residuum being 20 ble gas is increased. 4 charged to the drum 6, filling the column 5. In- It is known, in the treatment of carbonaceous ond nsa le as may nt th s st m th u h materials, such as coal, when finely powdered and the line 20, in which may he in r Valve v mixed with aliquid petroleum and treated under 21, 'being heated to a high temperature while high heat and pressure in contact with hydropassing through the coil 2. Alter passing through 25 gen, that a chemical union takes place, wherein the heating coil 2, said incondensable gas may a certain portion of the carbonaceous material pass through the transfer line 3 into the column is liquefied and a portion or it is even converted 5 where it will transfer a portion or its heat to into lighter hydrocarbons such as those oi. the the residuum contained therein. The excess in- 80 gasoline series. condensable gas may pass out through drum 6 In conventional cracking processes a certain and condenser 9 and be finally removed from portion of the intermediate oils is converted into receiver 12 through lin fro wh h Point it fixed gas, heavy residuum and some carbon, concan either be returned to the system through the stituting a substantial loss in value or products line 20 or discharged for other purposes.

of the operation. After the residuum has been heated to the 35 One of the objects of this invention comprises proper temperature, which will be in the neighbringing about conditions whereby this loss will borhood of from 800 to 900 F., more or less, be minimized by again uniting the incondensable a reaction will gradually take place between the gas and residuum in such a manner as to form incondensable gas entering at the bottom of the a material quantity of gasoline-like products as column 5 and the residuum contained in said 40 well as other desirable products. column, whereby a portion of the heavy oil The present process provides for the conversion vWill be converted in o li hter hydro r ns by or the heavy oils above referred to through the chemical reun with the hydro n c n i 7 agency of the hydrogen contained in incondensin the 'incondensable gas. Said lighter oils will able gas produced asa by-product from cracking pass out through the top of drum 6, being con- 45 under high heat and pressure. Numerous ways densed in the condenser 9 and collected as discan be conceived by those skilled in this art by tillate in the receiver 12, from which it may be which this process may be carried out, and the removed through liquid draw-oil line 1 15. The accompanying drawing merely shows one form residual or spent oil maybe withdrawn through of apparatus which is suitable for the operation the line 22, in which may be interposed a valve 50 or the process. The utility of the invention as 23, passing through a cooler 24 and into a sepawell as other objects and advantages thereof will -rator 25. Any vapors released in separator 25 be more particularly apparent from the followmay be removed through line 28, condensed'in ing description. the condenser 27 and collected as liquid distillate The single figure in the drawing is a diagramin the receiver 28, which latter may be provided 6 with the incondensable gas relief line 29, in which may be interposed a valve 30, and with the liquid draw-oil line 31, in which may be interposed a valve 32. The residual oil may be withdrawn from the separator 25 through line 33, in which may be interposed a valve 34.

As a feature of the present invention, the process of hydrogenation is carried out while maintaining the process and apparatus under a pressure of from 1000 to 5000 lbs. per square inch, more or less, and special care, of course, is necessary in the selection of materials of which the apparatus is constructed. Residuum being removed through the line 22 will have its pressure materially reduced, if not released altogether, through proper manipulation of the valve 23 whereby vaporization may take place in separator 25 through the latent heat contained in said residue.

I have illustrated in the apparatus and have described the process as requiring the incondensable gas to be heated in the coil 2. This will be necessary in some instances for the purpose of conditioning the incondensable gas by heating it to a high temperature ranging from 1300 to 2000 F., more or less. The object of this heating is to crack the incondensable gas into smaller molecules in which the hydrogen percentage will be markedly increased. Under certain conditions it may be necessary to cool the gas before introducing same into the tubular column 5, which can be accomplished in any suitable manner by direct or indirect cooling means (not shown).

The step of heating the incondensable gas to the high temperatures referred to for the purpose of increasing the percentage of hydrogen contained therein is not necessary where the percentage of hydrogen in the incondensable gas is high enough for satisfactory processing.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process for producing low boiling hydrocarbon distillates from hydrocarbon gas and unvaporized residuum obtained in the cracking of hydrocarbon oils which comprises first heating the gas sufflciently to substantially increase its free hydrogen content and to impart suiiicient heat thereto to maintain the residuum at hydrogenating temperature, then contacting the thus heated gas with the residuum under a pressure of at least 1000 pounds per square inch and thereby hydrogenating the residuum, and removing and condensing the resultant vapors.

2. A process for producing low boiling hydrocarbon distillates from hydrocarbon gas and unvaporized residuum obtained in the cracking of hydrocarbon oils which comprises first heating the gas sufilciently to substantially increase its free hydrogen content, then contacting the thus heated gas with the residuum under a pressure of at least 1000 pounds per square inch and thereby hydrogenating the residuum, lowering the pressure on the hydrogenated residuum and thus distilling the same, and condensing the resultant vapors.

3. A process for producing low boiling hydrocarbon distillates from-hydrocarbon gas and unvaporized residuum-obtained in the cracking. of hydrocarbon oils which comprises first heating the gas sufliciently to substantially increase its free hydrogen content and to impart sufflcient heat thereto to maintain the residuum at hydrogenating temperature, then contacting the thus heated gas with the residuum under a pressure of at least 1000 pounds per square-inch and thereby hydrogenating the residuum, lowering the pressure on the hydrogenated residuum and thus distilling the same, and condensing the resultant vapors.

RALPH C. COOK. 

